Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – July 29, 2003

Mr. Alireza Ma'iri, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Education and Research, came to invite me to participate in the ambassadors' gathering. He provided an explanation regarding an analysis he had recently sent—based on the serious danger of a U.S. conflict with Iran.

Mr. Mohammad Reza Abbasi-Fard, a member of the Guardian Council and Executive Director of the Expediency Discernment Council, came. He said he wants to resign from the Guardian Council; I opposed it.

Engineer Saraj al-Din Kazerouni, the Deputy Minister of Housing for Research Affairs, came. He provided explanations about the plan for the Astaneh Square in Qom, the "Harram to Harram" projects, organizing the Qom River, the Ammar Highway, and various options for the square. I also added a fifth option.

In the evening, Messrs. Mohammad Jafari Gilani and Taha Hashemi came. They sought assistance regarding the management of the Islamic Propagation Office in Qom and the Supreme Leader's plan for changes.

In the evening, we had a meeting with Messrs. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, Hassan Rouhani, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, and Ali Shamkhani in the presence of the Supreme Leader regarding nuclear issues, the Additional Protocol, the final objectives of the negotiations, and clarification.

At night, I was also a guest of the Supreme Leader. We discussed his trip to Mashhad, the agenda for his meeting next week with officials, the proposal of Amir Abdullah, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, for negotiations with America, the management of nuclear issues, the resignation of Mr. Mostafa Moin, the Minister of Culture and Higher Education, and the management changes at the Islamic Propagation Office in Qom.

The Supreme Leader criticized today's meeting of the Assembly of Experts' investigative commission with him and said that they had divided the questions among themselves. They complained about justice, security, the judiciary, and moral issues in society, as if the Supreme Leader is responsible for them, similar to the letter of 127 members, but in a private session.

In Iraq today, several Iraqis and Americans were killed and wounded, and a large fire broke out at oil facilities around Basra. Another tape of Saddam was broadcast on Al-Arabiya, in which he said that Uday and Qusay were martyred in the path of God and the Iraqi people, that this was God's will, and he expressed satisfaction, saying that they fought bravely in a six-hour war.

In Sindh province, Pakistan, an unprecedented and destructive flood has occurred, with heavy casualties and damage. In the provinces of Kerman, Zahedan, Hormozgan, and Yazd, we have also had floods. The monsoon rain system, which comes from the Indian Ocean, is in this season.

Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, in a joint interview with Bush, congratulated the surrender of Iraq and said that he would continue the construction of the separation wall.